Premiere Napa Valley Barrel Auction Wows with $5 Million Total
2014 vintage represents 88% of wines sold
St. Helena, CA- Emphatic market demand for unique Napa Valley wine offerings resulted in a $5 million fundraising total for the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) at today’s Premiere Napa Valley barrel tasting and auction, the third highest amount raised in the event’s 20-year history.
Of the 226 lots sold, 199 were from the 2014 harvest, the third in a string of some of Napa Valley’s most critically acclaimed vintages.
“The collectability of Napa Valley’s rarest wines was on dramatic display today,” noted Emma Swain, chair of the NVV’s board of directors and CEO of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery. “We are grateful to our friends and colleagues in the wine trade who join us year after year, seeking out the excellence and endless possibilities of our winemaking.”
With more than 1,000 wine professionals in attendance, the 2016 Premiere Napa Valley event showcased both long-established brands and newcomers to the Napa Valley winemaking scene. The annual barrel tasting and auction, which is open to licensed members of the trade who procure wines on behalf of discerning customers and collectors, is the longest-running regional barrel auction of wine futures in the U.S.
“We’re thrilled with the results and we had a great day sharing our wines with our partners in the trade,” noted Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards, this year’s Premiere Napa Valley Steering Committee chair. “Over the past 20 years, Premiere has helped Napa Valley’s vintners to really push the quality envelope. Because of this event, I believe we’re all making even better wines.”
The wines sold at Premiere Napa Valley are unique, crafted in micro-lots as few as 60 and never more than 240 bottles. Each bottle is hand-labeled, individually numbered and signed by the winemaker, creating additional cachet and collectability for the limited-production offerings. Descriptions detailing the lineage of this year’s unique lots can be viewed at premierenapawines.com
New this year was the introduction of the E-Premiere Napa Valley Online Auction, where 26 of the 226 wines sold today were available exclusively online for qualified wine trade bidders from around the world.
Top lots at today’s auction included Italics Winegrowers, Memento Mori, Nine Suns, Realm Cellars, Rombauer Vineyards, Shafer Vineyards, TOR Kenward Family, Duckhorn Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars and ZD Wines.
Consumers interested in obtaining Premiere Napa Valley wines for their own cellar will find information on the successful bidder for each 2016 lot, as well as past Premiere Napa Valley wine offerings, at premierenapawines.com
Premiere Napa Valley was the culmination of a week that brought hundreds of wine trade and media to Napa Valley for in-depth educational events and professional tastings.
Interviews with collectors of Premiere Napa Valley wines are available upon request.
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its more than 525 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.
